RCAF Aviation History: Group Captain Percival Stanley Turner, DSO, DFC and Bar

Group Captain Percival Stanley Turner, DSO, DFC and Bar

(IWM Photo, CH 1376)

Flight-Lieutenant P S Turner of No. 242Squadron RAF, rests on the tail elevator of his Hawker Hurricane Mark I, after landing at Fowlmere, Cambridgeshire, (No. 242 Squadron were based at Coltishall, Norfolk at this time). Turner, a Canadian citizen, was a successful fighter pilot over France and during the Battle of Britain in 1940, destroying ten enemy aircraft.

Group Captain Percival Stanley Turner, DSO, DFC & Bar (3 September 1913 – 23 July1985) served with the RAF and the RCAF during the Second World War. He holds therecord of the most combat hours flown of any Canadian pilot.

Turner's parents emigrated to Toronto, Ontario, when he was at a young age. While studying engineering there, he joined the RCAF Auxiliary. In 1938 Turned joinedthe RAF, completing his pilot training just as Britain entered the Second World War. He was posted to fly Hurricanes with No. 242 Squadron RAF.  Over Dunkirk, he scored the first of his 14aerial victories during the war. During the Battle of Britain, he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC).

Stan Turner was also involved in some other interesting and remarkable events during the war. He flew escort for the mission that was agreed to by the Germans todrop an artificial leg to Douglas Bader. Turner and Bader were good friends, despite a rocky start when Bader took over command of the Canadian pilots who had survived the Battle of France.  Bader won over Turner and the other Canadians by generously replacing their kit they had lost in France from his personal stores, not to mention by demonstrating his flying skills.  

After the Battle of Britain, Turner was posted to No. 145 Squadron RAF in June 1941,where he transitioned over to the Supermarine Spitfire Mk II. During this time,Johnnie Johnson remarked that Stan was a "Fearless and great leader" of his squadron.  In October 1941 he was awarded a Bar to his DFC while flying over France again.

With a short rest in between, Turner was then given command of No. 411 Squadron RCAF. His posting there spurred many requests to be transferred to the squadron, a notable one accepted was that of Robert Wendell "Buck" McNair. In 1942, he was then transferred to the command of No. 249 Squadron RAF. On Malta at the height of the Siege of Malta. In 1943, he became wing leader of No. 244 Wing, fighting in Italy. In 1944, he was promoted to group captain and commanded No. 127 Wing RCAF.

In May 1944Stan was awarded the Distinguished Service Order, the citation confirmed his 14victories. “This distinguished fighter pilot has flown nearly 900 operational hours in single-engined fighters. Since November 1943 he has taken part in all the more important air operations during the invasion of Sicily and Italy andin the Sangro and Anzio battles. He has destroyed fourteen enemy aircraft and has always shown the utmost gallantry, enthusiasm and leadership.”

He was postedback to the desert, to HQ, Desert Air Force to learn the intricacies of running entire Wings and Groups of aircraft. By this time, the Desert Air Force was ina backwater of the war, and it was pretty quiet. In November, his HQ schooling was over and he was posted to Britain as part of 84 Group of the 2nd TacticalAir Force, now fighting in Belgium. In January 1945 he was promoted to Group Captain and made CO of No. 127 Wing conducting intensive "mopping up"operations on the continent with four Spitfire Squadrons.

The famous Johnnie Johnson was his first Wing Commander Flying, he was succeeded by thevery successful Canadian WC Stocky Edwards. He oversaw the conversion of 127Wing to ground attack duties and flew with it on the more important missions. By July the war was over and GC Stan Turner was posted back to England toAldermaston until December. He reverted to the rank of Wing Commander as therewere just not enough positions in the Air Force for all of the Group Captainswho were freed up by the disbandment of the fighter squadrons. In July 1946 hetransferred to the RCAF and attended Staff College. He took over 20 Wing fromMarch 1947 to Feb 1948. In this period, he was awarded the Czechoslovakian WarCross, 1939 and Medal for Bravery for his work in the war. He then went througha variety of other duties, including Canadian Air Attaché in Moscow fromSeptember 1954 to Oct 1957. He was made the Commanding Officer of RCAF StationLachine for 18 months. Then he was Air Force HQ Staff Officer, Personnel Administrationin August, 1961. He finally retired as a Group Captain in 1965.

Following retirement,he became an executive with the planning staff of Expo 67. Following this heworked with the exposition "Man and his World". He lived in the quiettown of Chambly, Quebec. He died on 23 July 1983, of a heart attack, whileteaching kids to swim at a local pool in Ottawa. He had returned to hislong-ago career of swimming instructor. Turner was inducted into Canada's AviationHall of Fame in 1974. (Wikipedia)

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